The first Copa America was held in 1916 in Argentina, and won by the hosts' neighbours Uruguay. The tournament represented a developmental moment in the global game – a vehicle for South American countries to raise playing standards and generate more interest in the Anglo-Saxon sport.
In fact, Brazil and the Rio Plata countries greatly benefitted from the continental competition, so much so that Uruguay won the 1924 Olympic medal for football in Paris.
They shook the European teams and steamrolled their way to the gold, a feat they came close to repeating four years later in Amsterdam, where they won the silver instead. The European footballing establishment was flustered yet again – how could any team play with such elegance and beauty?England’s professionals were banned from participating in the Olympics, because of the tournament’s amateur status, but the desire to identify the best team in the world had been born. And so, in 1930, Uruguay hosted the inaugural World Cup.
That South American and global football heritage are indebted to the Copa America is beyond doubt. But hosting the commemorative edition of the tournament on Uncle Sam’s turf simply reflects the greed of football officials in a hemisphere where corruption was turned from culture into cult.The corruption crisis
Endemic corruption nearly halted the staging of the centenary Copa America. Last May a crisis engulfed the global game with the arrests of FIFA officials and corporate executives. More arrests followed in December. In reality, the FIFA scandal was very much a pan-American scandal with the vast majority of indictments being against Latin American football officials.
In his defence, Sepp Blatter pointed to the Americas as the root cause for widespread chicanery, but it was too little too late for the Swiss: his imperium had been crumbling ever since FIFA controversially awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively in 2010.
Investigations by the Department of Justice revealed a problem in the interface between Latin American TV companies and the region’s top football administrators: evidence suggests that TV rights for the centenary Copa America have been sold well below the market price as a result of massive bribes to officials from both COMNEBOL and CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.Too much, too soon
Apart from the shadow of corruption, the 2016 Copa America also suffers from the problem of overkill. The international calendar is terribly overcrowded and, so, coming on the back of last year’s Copa America in Chile, this tournament is somewhat redundant, if not an outright nuisance for the players.
Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay all played at the 2014 World Cup and are now in the midst of a gruelling World Cup qualifying marathon for Russia 2018, together with the other South American countries. In August Brazil, Argentina and Colombia will also compete in the Olympic football tournament.
The fatigue factor can’t be underestimated. For Uruguay, that is an understatement. The Uruguayans will clock up the most air miles of all the participants during the group stage with a bizarre itinerary: they begin their campaign against Mexico in Pasadena, on the West Coast, next play Venezuela in Philadelphia, and then head back west to meet the ‘Reggae Boyz’ from Jamaica in Santa Clara.“It’s a very different Copa America,” said Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez about the tournament. “I wouldn’t dare to call it a Copa America – for me the Copa America is something else.” But, confoundingly, Tabarez did select a full-strength squad for the tournament. Uruguay are not among the favourites.
Who are the favourites?
Last year Chile won the Copa America on home soil. Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez showed flashes of brilliance throughout the tournament, but the final against Argentina was an anti-climactic stalemate, decided after a penalty shoot-out. Coach Jorge Sampaoli left after the triumph and, as a result, the reigning champions are in a transitional phase.
Continental powerhouses Brazil and Argentina are going into the tournament with a different mindset. For the Albiceleste, the Copa America is a top priority. They have not won a continental title since 1993. The Argentineans have a number of ageing players and for the generation of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Sergio Aguero, this tournament represents a gilt-edged chance. Coach Tata Martino’s approach is simple: play pragmatic but flux football to maximise Messi’s talent.
Brazil are still recovering from their cataclysmic 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany in the last World Cup. But progress, if any, has been made at a snail’s pace. Coach Dunga is beholden to the Brazilian Football Confederation. He is an anachronism and a tactical dinosaur who hasn’t advanced Brazil’s posture and poise.The team is settled, but has neither genuine playmaking midfielders nor a fixed striker. FC Barcelona has prohibited Neymar from participating. Brazil’s boy wonder wants Olympic gold, so for both Brazil and him, like for many of the other participants, the Copa America will be just a pointless exercise.
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